O Syrian Army Commanders! Follow in the footsteps of the Roman General who defected to the Muslim army at the Battle of Yarmuk, and died shaheed, the greatest death

The Battle of Yarmuk was part of the campaign to conquer Syria and open it to Islam. The Amir of Jihad was Khalid bin Walid who was appointed by the Khaleefah Umar ibn al-Khattab. At the start of the battle a Roman general by the name of George emerged from the Roman centre and rode towards the Muslims. Halting a short distance from the Muslim centre, he raised his voice and asked for Khalid bin Walid (Amir of Jihad). From the Muslim side Khalid rode out, delighted at the thought that the battle would begin with himself fighting a duel. He would set the pace for the rest of the battle.

As Khalid drew near, the Roman made no move to draw his sword, but continued to look intently at Khalid. The Muslim advanced until the necks of the horses crossed, and still George did not draw his sword. Then he spoke, in Arabic: “O Khalid, tell me the truth and do not deceive me, for the free do not lie and the noble do not deceive. Is it true that Allah sent a sword from heaven to your Prophet and that he gave it to you and that never have you drawn it but your enemies have been defeated?”

“No!” replied Khalid.

“Then why are you known as the Sword of Allah?”

Here Khalid told George the story of how he received the title of Sword of Allah from the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. George pondered this a while, then with a pensive look in his eyes, asked, “Tell me, what do you call me to?”

“To bear witness”, Khalid replied, “that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger; and to believe in what he has brought from Allah.”

“If I do not agree?”

“Then pay the Jizya, and you shall be under our protection.”

“If I still do not agree?”

“Then the sword!”

George considered the words of Khalid for a few moments, then asked, “What is the position of one who enters your faith today?” “In our faith there is only one position. All are equal.”

“Then I accept your faith!” 1

To the astonishment of the two armies, which knew nothing of what had passed between the two generals, Khalid turned his horse and rode slowly with the Roman to the Muslim army. On arrival at the Muslim centre George repeated after Khalid: “There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!” A few hours later the newly-converted George would fight heroically for the faith which he had just embraced and would die in battle as a shaheed the greatest death. 2

O Syrian Army Commanders!

You have the power to end the bloodshed, to remove the corrupt Assad regime and to give support (nusra) for the establishment of Khilafah. This Khilafah will bring peace and unity once again to the blessed land of ash-Sham after decades of oppression.

Seize this opportunity in the month of Ramadhan to become one of the heroes of ash-Sham like Khalid bin Walid and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, and achieve the greatest prize of all – Al-Jannah.

“So let those who sell the life of this world for the Next World fight in the Way of Allah. If someone fights in the Way of Allah, whether he is killed or is victorious, We will pay him an immense reward. What reason could you have for not fighting in the Way of Allah – for those men, women and children who are oppressed and say, ‘Our Lord, take us out of this city whose inhabitants are wrongdoers! Give us a protector from You! Give us a helper from You!’? Those who have iman fight in the Way of Allah. Those who are kafir fight in the way of false gods (taaghoot). So fight the friends of Shaytan! Shaytan’s scheming is always feeble.” 3

Notes

Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 595

Lieutenant-General A.I. Akram, ‘The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin Al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns,’ October 1969